Part B News | Part B News

Maximize use of Open Payment dispute process before data goes public

07/21/2014

You now can track and dispute what manufacturers have reported about their financial relationships with your doctors before it goes public. You also can appoint a representative to handle the work for your doctors, but if you want to change the data, you have to get the manufacturer who gave the payments to agree.

Embrace trend of patient use of technology to improve patient care

07/21/2014

by: Scott Kraft

Patients are increasingly turning to technology to monitor their own health, compile health data including vital signs and cholesterol levels and even administer their own strep tests. Providers would be wise to embrace the technologies as well and give patient-oriented care based on the advanced knowledge of each patient.

Proposed 2015 Medicare physician fee schedule estimated impact by specialty*

07/21/2014

by: Part B News staff

Look to this chart from the proposed 2015 Medicare physician fee schedule to see the estimated impact of the rule's changes on your payments by specialty.

Pay for chronic care management easier in proposed fee schedule — but still a big lift

07/14/2014

by: Roy Edroso

A program to pay for chronic care management (CCM) that CMS proposed last year has undergone changes in the new proposed 2015 Medicare physician fee schedule: While the new rules make it easier to fulfill the service with non-physician clinical staff, you’ll have to jump through some hoops to earn the $41.92 CMS proposes to pay.

PQRS: Prepare for increased requirements, cuts to claims-based measures

07/14/2014

by: Julia Kyles

The quality reporting changes in the proposed 2015 physician fee schedule are so drastic that medical practices should start working on their quality reporting game plan now, a health care consultant warns. If Medicare implements all of the proposed changes, practices that wait until the end of the year could struggle to meet the tougher quality reporting requirements.

CMS plans to phase 10-, 90-day global periods to zero-day periods by 2018

07/14/2014

by: Scott Kraft

A new proposal to phase out 10- and 90-day global periods means surgeons could bill follow-up visits separately, but expect payments for surgical services to be cut.

Open payments proposals mean more payments for practices to track

07/14/2014

by: Ben Hartman

You could have to monitor two new types of payments that applicable manufacturers make to your physicians.

CMS proposals: Changes to locum tenens, pay cut details in fall and more

07/14/2014

by: DecisionHealth staff

Because CMS has “heard anecdotally that locum tenens physicians are used to fill staffing needs” rather than to bridge a temporary gap, the agency worries about untoward consequences and could make changes to the program.

Online exclusive: More CMS payment, policy and coding proposals

07/14/2014

by: DecisionHealth staff

Part B News is providing exclusive online coverage of the proposed 2015 Medicare physician fee schedule with analysis of these CMS proposals.

Payment for E/M office visits steadily increases 2011 to 2015

07/14/2014

by: Karen Long

By next year, your reimbursement for E/M office visits will have climbed by as much as 6.5% since 2011, according to Medicare payment rates and the proposed 2015 Medicare physician fee schedule.

Login

User Name:
Password:
Remember me Forgot password
Welcome to the new Part B News Online. If you are a returning user having trouble logging in, please click here.